


The First Kiss

by ginnekomiko



Series: The Sum of Zero and Five [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 02:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10067249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnekomiko/pseuds/ginnekomiko
Summary: Niles looks back on how this relationship started.





	

Niles _knew_ something like this would happen. He knew that after all that effort trying to get his attention, Sheng would fall fast asleep shortly after the sex concluded. That idiot had pushed his body too far, too fast. Granted, Niles probably didn’t help matters by going after him like he did, but the mood after the meal was good, and Sheng was so very willing to be played with.

Ah well, seeing Sheng’s shy surprise when he learned more about what turned him on was well worth it, but now, Niles was stuck in the bed because his sleepy lover refused to let go of his hand.

Every time Niles tried to get up and move, Sheng whimpered and gripped his hand tighter. When Niles settled back down for the fifth time, Sheng went and flopped his whole body down on him.

Niles rubbed Sheng’s back. “You cold or something?” He got up for a second, hands still connected, and pulled one of his shirts down from the bedpost. Trying to get it on him would be interesting. When Niles let go to quickly put the shirt on him, Sheng whined again, his hand hovering and grasping, looking for something to hold.

 He reconnected their hands. “I’m right here, you big baby.”

Seeing his lover in his shirt was something he didn’t know he needed. It was like Sheng was wearing a big blanket. It was too tempting. He kissed the scar over Sheng’s eye, then the tip his nose, then his mouth. He saw Sheng’s lip curl into a smile, was he having a good dream about them? just for that, more kisses!

Niles’d meant for their very first kiss to be a distraction. Usually it worked in his favor, buying him time while his opponent struggled to process what happened when they lost their chance to attack. This intruder had paused and blushed like all the others had, but then, as he closed in on Niles’s face, he mimicked the kiss and returned it.

That had never happened before.

This man was an awkward, inexperienced kisser. Niles could tell that immediately, but there was an earnestness to it that intrigued him. It seemed a shame to kill him. So instead, he pinned him down to the ground and tied his hands behind his back. He forced his attacker to sit on a small stool while he questioned him.

_“So, is someone paying you to off me?” Niles had asked._

_The nod the assailant gave was all he needed. The guy was being surprisingly compliant with having his hands bound._

_“How much? Are you a member of their family or just a hire?”_

_“Why do you ask?”_

Niles was surprised that such a soft and gentle voice came out of his mouth. His face looked much harsher.

_“Because if at all possible, I’d like to keep us both alive. If your part of a family, they might come looking for you. Or do you really want to murder me that badly?”_

_“I don’t even know you… I mean I know of you, you stole from my employer.”_

_“I steal from lots of people; you’re going to have to be more specific than that.”_

_“If I could not kill you, I was supposed to bring the shiny glass rock back to him.”_

It was about that point that Niles picked up that maybe Nohrian wasn’t this guy’s first language. The brown hair and red eyes were an unusual combination around these parts. Anyone who could pull it off, be it by magic or dye, wanted to be blonde.

_“Do you want to go back to your employer?”_

_“Not really…. If I come back without your head, or the glass jewel, one of my bones will surely be broken as repayment. The problem is, I need all of my bones to remain unbroken to continue with my other jobs. I only took this one for a quick payout. Money is… very tight this month.”_

_“I see. If he wants that fake back so badly, he can have it.”_

_“Fake?”_

_“Yeah, that precious jewel he wants you to steal back? is a fake. He got conned.”_

_“Why take it if it has no value?”_

_Niles grinned. “Simple, he told me that I couldn’t pull it off. So of course, I had to prove him wrong.”_

_His attacker nodded in agreement._

_“How many other jobs do you have, anyway?”_

_“Let’s see, there’s the noodle place down the street, the tailor, sometimes I assist the blacksmith…”_

_He kept going and going._

_“Good. You’ll be able to keep yourself busy while I work.”_

_“Yes, of course, I… huh?”_

_“Like hell I’m letting an interesting mutt like you out of my sight. Give the jewel back to him, and get your pay. If you need a place to hide out for a while, stay here with me.”_

_“With you? Um, then could we perhaps…. meet our lips again?”_

That was new. Still, he couldn’t help but grin.

_“I don’t kiss just anything or anybody, you know.”_

_“Understood. The gesture is… uncommon to me. It felt nice, that’s all.”_

_Niles held the man’s chin in his hand. “Hmm, yeah, your face is cute enough for another one.”_

_He saw those fascinating red eyes glance downward. “The scar is not… off-putting?”_

_Niles kissed him. “Nope!”_

_The man moved in to kiss him back._

_“Ah-ah! I need your name first.”_

_“It’s… Sheng.”_

_“Never heard of that name before. ‘Sheng,’ huh? Did I say that right?”_

_Sheng nodded._

_“Now, Sheng, if you want more kisses, you’re going to have to give me information, deal?”_

_“Very well. What would you like to know?”_

That was how it started, on a whim. Niles had not expected this new relationship with the obviously foreign man to go on for long, but Sheng proven to be both very useful with his surprisingly vast network of information, and very loyal to him. In his world, that was a very rare thing indeed.

The scarred eye always had a little trouble opening after being closed for an extended time.

“Aiwo?” Sheng murmured.

“Hey, babe. Did you have a nice nap?”

Sheng nodded.

Niles sat up on the bed and stretched. “Ah! I can finally get up! You didn’t want to let go of me. You whined whenever I tried.”

Sheng hid his blushing face in the sleeve of the oversized shirt. “Forgive me, I- eh? I do not remember wearing this.”

“That’s because you weren’t wearing anything. I put it on you because you looked cold.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sheng then stepped out of bed and scratched the back of his head.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Good.”

“Wound check.”

Sheng looked back at him. “Again?”

“Yes, again. I have enough energy to cast Heal or Mend if I need to.”

“But-!” Sheng began.

Niles made a ‘come here’ motion with his hand and gestured him to sit down, which he did.

A quick glance under the shirt told him he was healing. Soon, this time would end. Perhaps he could ask Lord Leo….

No. Last time he did that, it ended badly for everyone involved.

Sheng was fiddling with something in the nightstand drawer. He pulled something out of it.

“What are those?” Niles said as he eyed out two small stuffed hedgehogs made of bright fabric scraps.

“Ah! These are pouches I’ve been making for small items. The tailor is very kind, and lets me keep the bits she has no use for.”

It took Niles a moment to notice that one of the hedgehog’s quills resembled Sheng’s messy hair. The other one, already in use by Sheng, was missing an eye. He was petting it gently with his fingers.

“What do you keep in that one?”

“Scented beads. I find both the feel of the fabric and scent inside to be calming.”

“You nervous about something?”

“The look on your face tells me I am indeed… welling? It means we will have to part ways soon. Stabbing aside, I have liked… this time with you.”

Niles leaned in and pressed his forehead against Sheng’s. “I know, I have, too, but you know why I can’t do it. The word you want is ‘recovering,’ by the way.”

“…Recovering.” Sheng repeated. He then went back under the covers of the bed. “Also ‘recovering,’ yes?”

This guy.

“No. Sadly, the word isn’t used like that.”

Sheng made a face.

“Are you using that other pouch?”

“No. I have not found a place for him yet.”

“I want him!”

 Sheng looked surprised. “You do?”

“He’ll go right here, see?” Nile’s said as he attached it to his gold belt. “Heh, looks like I can fit a few smoke bombs in him.”

“He is not too cute or colorful for your liking?”

“I like cute things!” Niles said, pretending to be offended.

“You do?”

Niles grinned. He leaned into kiss Sheng. “Yeah, I mean, you’re cute, and I like you!”

Sheng blushed, but he smiled quite broadly before kissing him back. “Good! Because I like you, too! Very much!”

Gods help him, he was actually starting to believe it.


End file.
